Time To Say Goodbye
by Ryou's 01 Fan
Summary: It's the first day of school and Ichigo is all ready to start his senior year. However, he is not prepared for what is to come: Kuchiki Rukia is leaving the Real world and going back to Soul Society. Will Ichigo be able to continue on? IchiRukia fanfic.
1. Chapter 1

**Time To Say Goodbye**

By: Ryou's 01 Fan

**Disclaimer:** I do NOT own Bleach….although I would very much like to.

**AN: **Well this is my 4th Bleach fic…...it will be of course about Rukia and Ichigo.

**AN #2: **"Baka" = means dumb/fool in Japanese

**Chapter 1: Telling Him The News**

Rukia was sitting in Ichigo's bed listening to him, rambling on and on about school and what had happened that first day back. It was the afternoon of the first day of school. The sky had been clear and everyone had been so excited to be returning back for another year at school.

'_I should probably tell him now,' Rukia thought. _

She had received very important news from Renji that morning.

"Hey Rukia! Are you listening to what I'm saying?" Ichigo asked her, a frown forming on his face.

"Of course," Rukia responded.

"Really? What did I just say then?" He said staring at her.

'_This should be interesting,' he thought._

"You said, 'Hey Rukia! Are you listening to what I'm saying?" she said with a smile on her face.

"That's not what I meant," he responded, throwing a pillow at her.

"Hey! That's my pillow!" She said catching the pink, furry pillow she used to sleep with every night.

"Not really. It was Karin's remember?" He said opening the closet door.

"Yeah, I know," Rukia said looking at the furry thing in her hands.

'_This will be the last day I use it,' she thought to herself._

It was sad, but she knew that eventually, it had to happen. And it would tomorrow…

"So do you want to go?" Ichigo said, taking out a dark blue sweater from the closet.

"Go where?" Rukia asked.

"To the park with Chad and Inoue. There is going to be a small carnival and then later some fireworks," Ichigo said putting the sweater over his head. He felt like a normal teenager again, making plans and hanging out.

"Sure, but first I need to tell you something," Rukia said slowly.

"What?" He said looking at her.

'_It better not be one of those weird questions,' he thought._

"I got a-," was all Rukia said when the telephone rang.

"Hello?" Ichigo answered.

"Hi Kurosaki-kun! Chad and I are already here in the park. The carnival rides are going to open up in 5 minutes. We'll save you a spot since the lines are already getting long," Inoue said excitedly.

"Ok. We'll be there in 5 minutes," Ichigo said. He put down the phone and grabbed Rukia's hand.

"Come on! The rides are going to open up soon," he said grabbing a surprised Rukia and heading out the door. This would be the first time Rukia would go to a carnival and he wanted her to enjoy it as much as possible.

"Ichigo!" was all Rukia said as he dragged her along but he didn't hear her.

**At the Park…**

"Hey, there they are!" Inoue said as she saw Ichigo and Rukia running towards them.

"Hey guys!" Ichigo said when they had finally reached the group. Rukia was beside him taking big breaths.

"Ichigo!" She finally said. "I don't even have my shoes on! Baka!"

Ichigo looked down at Rukia's feet and sure enough, she had no shoes or socks for that matter. Her feet were all dark and there was even some blood in a spot where she had stepped on a sharp stick.

"Oh, sorry Rukia. Here, have my shoes," he said, immediately taking off his white sneakers. "I have socks so it's okay."

_He is acting surprisingly nice today, Rukia thought. When will I find the right time to tell him?_

"You baka," she said again as she put on his shoes. They were a little big on her but it was better than going around barefooted.

"So what do you want to do first Kuchiki-san?" Inoue said grabbing her friend's hand.

"I don't know. I've never been to one of these before," Rukia said looking around here and admiring all the colorful lights around them.

"Really? Then let's start off at the Ferris wheel!" Inoue said as she led the way.

"Hey Chad! Let's go get some food! I'm hungry," Ichigo said patting his growling stomach.

"Same here," Chad said. They headed towards a hotdog stand.

The rest of the afternoon was spent eating and playing games. Ichigo had won two furry monkeys at a booth. He gave one to Rukia and one to Inoue.

**A few hours later…..**

Finally, the fireworks were going to start. The sky was black and a crowd had gathered in the park where refreshments were being sold.

"Ready Rukia? It's almost time," he said staring anxiously at the sky. Ichigo loved fireworks.

'_I can't do this,' Rukia thought to herself. 'I can't pretend that today is like any normal day. I have to tell him.'_

"Ichigo? I have to tell you something," Rukia said looking at him. Ichigo must not have heard heard because he was still looking at the sky.

"Ichigo!" Rukia said a little louder this time.

"What?" he asked, still not looking at her.

"I'm leaving tomorrow," she said as the first firework exploded into the dark, cloudy sky.

"What?" He said, not noticing that the first firework had exploded.

"I'm leaving tomorrow morning. I tried to tell you earlier but you didn't listen," Rukia said slowly, looking up at him.

"Why?" He said. This couldn't be happening. He had sensed something was wrong earlier but he hadn't had the guts to ask her for some reason.

"Well, Renji called me earlier today. He told me that if I wanted to improve my abilities and get a better position, that I better do it now. Nii-sama is letting me….improve and you have gotten so much stronger Ichigo," She said looking at him. "You don't need me anymore."

Ichigo looked away. It wouldn't be fair to ask her to stay. She has her own life and he shouldn't interfere…..but then why was he getting so upset about it? He looked back at Rukia.

"Do you….want to go back?" Ichigo said slowly.

"It would be nice to see my companions again. It's been so long and…..you know I don't belong here Ichigo," Rukia said quietly. She couldn't look at him. Goodbyes were always so hard for her…..especially after what happened to Kaien.

"Yeah," was all Ichigo could say. They watched the rest of the firework show in silence.

After the show ended, Inoue and Chad had left with Keigo and the others to watch a movie at Keigo's house. Ichigo had claimed that he was tired and Rukia followed his lead which left them walking alone back to Ichigo's place.

"You know, you should have gone with your friends Ichigo," Rukia finally spoke up. Ichigo continued staring straight ahead.

"Naw," Ichigo said. _I can see them any day…..he thought. _"Hey, you want to walk for a bit longer?"

Rukia turned to look at him and nodded. She couldn't tell what he was feeling at the moment.

Ichigo lead the way past the houses and the parks and stopped when they got to edge of the river. The full moon was shining bright on them and the water was as calm as ever with the water standing almost still.

"I used to hate this place," Ichigo said looking up at the moon. "This is where it fell apart for me…her murder."

Rukia stayed silent. Ichigo had never brought up his mother's death since the first time he had told her about it.

"If it wasn't for you Rukia…..." Ichigo continued, "My family and I might not be here. You risked everything for us, for me, and that is something I will never forget."

Rukia nodded slightly. She didn't want to speak but she confirmed that she understood what he was saying by nodding.

"I couldn't let you leave until I said that Rukia," Ichigo said looking at her with the tiniest of smiles. "Thanks."

"Thank you Ichigo," Rukia finally spoke. They stared at the moon for a bit and then slowly made their way back to the house. Minutes later they were inside his room. Ichigo went straight to bed and Rukia opened the closet door, hesitating before she made any other movements.

_Should I say goodbye? She thought. _

"Goodnight Ichigo," She said softly like she always did every night.

"Yeah, goodnight Rukia," Ichigo said, his back towards her. He didn't want to say the other word either. Rukia nodded to herself and crawled into her small bed before closing the closet door.

_It's not like we are never going to see each other right? Ichigo thought as he drifted off to sleep…._

Yay! First chapter is done! Haha, please rate and comment and feel free to give me suggestions, and advice. I have a general sense of where I want this story to go. I know I haven't updated in a while (Cough*4 years*Cough) and my writing skills are probably rusty. Goodnight people!


	2. Chapter 2

**Time To Say Goodbye**

By: Ryou's 01 Fan

**Disclaimer:** I do NOT own Bleach….although I would very much like to.

**AN**: I need to finish this fanfic. I just started watching Bleach all the way from the beginning XD

**Chapter 2: Farewell or See you later?**

Ichigo slowly opened his eyes. The sun was high up in the sky and its radiant light was creeping in slowly in his room. Suddenly his eyes went wide open at the thought of what Rukia had told him last night.

'_She's leaving,' he thought ._

He stood up and looked towards the closet. The door was open, revealing an empty bed and no Rukia to be found.

'_Did she seriously leave without telling me anything?' Ichigo thought frowning._

Rukia had been sleeping in his closet for about two years now.

'_That midget….the least she could have done was woken me up before she left,' he thought. _

The room felt eerily silent. Usually Rukia would be the one up early, rambling on about some new manga she read or asking him questions about school customs such as homecoming and why seniors picked on the freshmen.

Ichigo yawned. Good thing it was Saturday. That meant his father and his sisters were probably at the market, getting groceries and running errands. He usually always slept in and Karin didn't have the patience to wait for Ichigo to get ready.

Ichigo climbed downstairs to the kitchen when he smelled something….burning. He rushed down and burst into the kitchen. There sitting on the kitchen table was none other than Rukia, who was trying to save her already blackened pancakes from a pan.

"Ichigo! Help me get these out!" she yelled.

"Baka! What are you doing?! I thought you had left," Ichigo yelled back. He grabbed the spatula she had been holding and tossed the black pancakes onto a plate.

"No, I have not received word of when the gate will be opened," she said. "Here, I made you breakfast." She grabbed the plate and handed it to him.

"Ahhh….thanks," Ichigo said, looking confused. It wasn't the first time she had made him breakfast so why did he suddenly feel weird about it?

"You got a problem with my cooking?" She asked, watching him look down at his plate as he took a seat.

"No," Ichigo snorted. "But maybe if it was less black and more brown…."

"Baka!" She yelled, punching him in the arm.

**Beep. Beep. Beep.**

Their squabbling was interrupted by Rukia's cell phone.

"Ah," Rukia said, "Soul Society is going to open the gate now."

"Right now?" Ichigo asked.

"Yup," Rukia said. "I have to go Ichigo. It will only be open for a short time. Please tell everyone for me that I am leaving. I am not good at goodbyes."

"Wait," Ichigo said. "I'll walk out with you." Before she could respond, he had gotten up and put on his sweater. Rukia just gave him a small nod and followed him out the door.

They walked in silence as they made their way to Urahara's shop. The gate was to be opened at this location since there was less traffic on that street, making the travel between worlds more discreet.

As they were getting closer, they saw a blue light shine and gradually shine brighter. The big wooden doors appeared and slowly started to open.

Ichigo had a flashback from the time Rukia left through those same doors when she was returning back to Soul Society to be sentenced for having given him her powers.

Rukia stopped and turned to look at Ichigo. She couldn't tell what he was thinking since he had that same scowl on his face. She swore sometimes it seemed like it was permanent etched on his face.

"Well I guess this is it," Ichigo said. He didn't know what to say. Was this a goodbye forever or a see you later type of farewell? He hoped it was the latter.

"Yes. Take care of yourself Ichigo although I am not worried," Rukia said looking up at him. "We shall run into each other again."

"Good," was all Ichigo could say. He had a strange urge to get closer to her, give her a hug or something but his feet stayed put. He wasn't good with goodbyes either.

"So long baka," Rukia smiled and turned her back, finally walking into the blue light.

"So long midget," Ichigo said but he doubted she had heard him. The doors closed quickly behind her and in a matter of seconds, the doors had disappeared altogether.

Ichigo walked back to his home. Upon entering, he realized his family had not yet returned from their trip. He opened his bedroom door when a soft yellow stuffed animal launched itself at his face.

"ICHIGOOO!" Kon yelled.

"Get off me you freak," Ichigo yelled back, tearing Kon away from his face and throwing him aside.

"WHERE IS NEE-SAN!" Kon yelled, up on his short stuffed feet. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER!"

"Baka," Ichigo said, laying down on his bed. "She went to Soul Society."

"WHAT?!" Kon yelled.

"Shut up, are you deaf? I said she left. She is going back to continue her training. Stop whining," Ichigo yelled at the stuffed lion.

"Just because you don't miss her doesn't mean you have to be a jerk!" Kon yelled pointing his finger at Ichigo. "I can't believe she didn't take me with her. I am now stuck with a dumbass. I will find a way to get the hell outta here and go with her!"

"Shut up!" Ichigo yelled, throwing a pillow at the thing. He didn't want to talk about Rukia.

The next few days were quiet. There was a hollow here and there and he finished them off quickly. Rukia was right in the fact when she said he didn't need her help anymore.

For some reason, he missed arguing with her. Mornings were too…quiet and boring now. Heck, he even missed her burned toast, eggs, pancakes, whatever it was that she would cook.

Everyone else was surprised when he told them that Rukia had left.

"But….but it's senior year," Inoue exclaimed when she found out. "We were going to go to Prom together."

"Prom isn't for another six months," Ichigo said, looking confused.

"Well she said she would love to go," Inoue pouted. "Maybe Kuchiki-san will come back just in time."

"I highly doubt she will come back just for Prom," Ishida pipped in.

"Do you even know what Prom is?" Ichigo smirked.

"As a matter of fact I do. Quite to everyone's belief, I attend social events Kurosaki," Ishida said, defending himself.

"Yeah well, she ain't coming back," Ichigo said getting up suddenly and left the group. He felt bad for abruptly leaving his friends but he didn't want to talk about Rukia anymore.

'_What the hell is wrong with me?' he thought. _

**Meanwhile in Soul Society**

Rukia was in her room, getting ready to go with Renji for her training. The past few days had been a blur. Everyone had come over and celebrated her return. After finishing her reports and final paperwork, Rukia was finally ready to start her training.

Byakuya had arranged for Renji to be one of her mentors. Rukia was glad about this. Training with her old friend would be less stressful and less formal than if it would have been someone else. She missed arguing with that carrot top and arguing with Renji was also one of her favorite hobbies.

'_Ichigo…I wonder how you are doing right now?' she thought to herself. _

"Rukia!" Renji yelled as he barged into her room.

"Baka!" Rukia yelled back as she turned to face him. "Don't you knock first? I could have been changing!"

"Oh, sorry," Renji said with an apologetic look. He had been excited and waiting for this day since he first joined the squad. Him and Rukia training together. Her back in Soul Society. Rukia finally getting the chance to move up the rank.

"Let's go," Rukia said. "I am ready." Renji followed her close behind as they made their way to the training room.

**Back in the Real World**

It was after school and Ichigo had gone straight home. He was laid on his bed, staring at the ceiling. It was so quiet.

"Aghhh," he yelled in frustration. "What is wrong with me?"

He turned his head to look at his closet. He should be hanging all his shirts and jeans back inside it but something kept stopping him.

He always expected to hear her cell phone ring from inside the closet, alerting them of the next hollow that appeared in town.

'_That's it,' he thought. If I can communicate with her, to see if she is fine, I can get on with my life_.

But how was he to do that? He didn't even have a cell phone, and even if he did, he was pretty sure Soul Society wasn't listed in any yellow pages book.

Ichigo groaned. _'I'm going to have to visit Urahara's shop.'_

Ichigo got up from his bed. 'At least I got something to do today' he thought as he left his room.

**Yay second chapter is done! R&R. I love Bleach.**


End file.
